The Houston Rockets (8-5 SU, 8-5 ATS) will try to even their Western Conference Final series with the Golden State Warriors (9-2 SU, 5-6 ATS) Thursday. You can watch the game live on ESPN.
The Rockets carried the momentum of their stirring comeback series win over the Clippers into the second quarter of Game One of the Western Conference Final Tuesday before it all fell apart. Houston built a 16-point lead in the second quarter but hit a cold spell that allowed the Warriors to catch up and take the lead at halftime. Houston lost for the fifth time this season to Golden State and cashed the under for the second straight game.
In the conference final for the first time since 1976 the Warriors felt right at home and did what they did all season in a comeback 110-106 win to take a 1-0 series lead. They scored the most points in a regulation game this postseason and still played the under for the eighth time in 11 playoff games.
KEY INJURY
Rockets center Dwight Howard suffered a knee injury when banging into teammate Josh Smith midway through the first quarter. He left the game but returned a few minutes later, testing the joint by jogging on the sideline. He played about nine minutes in each of the next two quarters and departed for good after 51 seconds of the fourth. “Hopefully I can play (Thursday). I’ll get some rest and come back,” Howard said after the game.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“I did my part, but other guys stepped up. That’s the beauty of the playoffs. Every night main guys are going to show up and hopefully play well. But you need pieces around you to do what they do and carry some of that load.” – Warriors’ Stephen Curry
BETTING TRENDS
- Houston is 4-0 ATS in its last four games overall.
- Golden State is 2-7 ATS in its last nine games overall.
- The UNDER is 8-2-1 in Golden State’s 11 postseason games.
KEY STATS
14: Warriors reserve guard Shaun Livingston scored 14 of his 18 points in the second quarter when Golden State closed the half on a 21-4 run to overcome a 16-point deficit.
11: Rockets guard James Harden had a playoff career-high 11 rebounds on Tuesday and scored 28 points finishing one assist shy of a triple-double.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Rockets sustained another blow and may be without Dwight Howard after he and teammate Josh Smith collided and Howard hyper-extended his left knee. Howard wasn’t the same after the collision and the Rockets failed to exploit the Warriors undersized frontline when he left. “We made some mistakes, but we were able to bounce back. We gave ourselves a chance but we missed too many shots right around the rim, we didn’t rebound the ball well enough and there were a lot of little thing that we can do better,” coach Kevin McHale said.
Defense wins championships, as the old saying goes. The Warriors sparked a comeback win in Game One of the conference final with a magnificent defensive effort. Trailing 49-33 midway through the first quarter, the Warriors clamped down, spread the floor and went on a 21-4 run to take the lead at halftime. When the Rockets tied the game late in the fourth quarter another shutdown performance led to a 9-0 run and free throws locked up the win. Stephen Curry went for 34 but Draymond Green was the unsung hero playing stellar defense and contributing at both ends of the floor with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
The series has been billed as a high-powered shootout between the NBA Most Valuable Player and runner-up. Game One certainly lived up to that. But James Harden and Stephen Curry are not playing one-on-one and other players need to do their part. The Warriors have the edge in that department with a deep bench but the Rockets have a group of capable role players and rookie Clint Capela will be thrust into the spotlight with Dwight Howard’s knee injury. Houston played a magnificent road game and came up short on Tuesday. It doesn’t look good for the Rockets, but it also didn’t look good when they trailed the Clippers 3-1 last round.
Houston 112, Golden State 106
BookMaker will be the first sportsbook to send out NBA odds for this game. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next half. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
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